Satellite communication system, earth station device and line switching control method

Abstract

A method or a first earth station in a satellite communication system including a plurality of earth stations connected by a single-hop connection accommodating corresponding terminals is provided. The method includes encapsulating a first control message received from a first terminal in a first control signal to transfer the first control signal including the encapsulated first control message through a first controlling line to a second earth station accommodating a second terminal on an incoming side among the plurality of earth stations; and performing circuit-switching of the first communicating line between the first earth station and the second earth station in accordance with the first control message.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A satellite communication system comprising:
 a plurality of earth station apparatuses each comprising at least one processor; and 
 a control earth station apparatus comprising at least one processor, 
 the plurality of earth station apparatuses each accommodating a corresponding terminal apparatus of a plurality of terminal apparatuses each of which establishes a session by using one or more control messages being dedicated to perform communication, the control earth station apparatus performing at least one of transmitting or receiving one or more control signals on one or more controlling lines to a corresponding earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses via a relay satellite, and the satellite communication system performing circuit-switching of one or more communicating lines between the plurality of earth station apparatuses that are connected by single-hop connection to allow the plurality of the terminal apparatuses to perform communication with each other, 
 wherein a first earth station apparatus accommodating a first terminal apparatus on an outgoing side among the plurality of earth station apparatuses is configured to: 
 encapsulate, using the at least one processor, a first control message of the one or more control messages received from the first terminal apparatus in a first control signal of the one or more control signals to transfer the first control signal including the encapsulated first control message through a first controlling line of the one or more controlling lines to a second earth station apparatus accommodating a second terminal apparatus on an incoming side among the plurality of earth station apparatuses; and 
 perform, using the at least one processor, circuit-switching of the first communicating line between the first earth station apparatus and the second earth station apparatus in accordance with the first control message; 
 wherein the first earth station apparatus is configured to: 
 include a table in which a piece of information of the second earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses is associated with a first transmission frequency that is fixed and pre-assigned for the second earth station apparatus to perform communication on the first communicating line using the first transmission frequency; 
 extract, from the table and using the at least one processor, another piece of information of the second earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses accommodating the second terminal apparatus as a transmission destination of the first control message received from the first terminal apparatus that the first earth station apparatus accommodates; 
 acquire, from the table and using the at least one processor, the first transmission frequency for the first communicating line of the second earth station apparatus; and 
 change, using the at least one processor, a reception frequency for the first communicating line of the first earth station apparatus to be identical to the acquired first transmission frequency for the first communicating line of the second earth station apparatus to perform the circuit-switching of the first communicating line. 
 
     
     
       2. The satellite communication system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the one or more control messages include a session initiation protocol (SIP) packet, 
 the one or more control signals include a common signaling channel (CSC) signal, 
 each of the earth station apparatuses corresponds to a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) earth station apparatus, and the control earth station apparatus corresponds to a VSAT control earth station apparatus, and 
 the VSAT earth station apparatus performs circuit-switching of the one or more communicating lines in conjunction with a SIP transaction state and a signaling sequence. 
 
     
     
       3. A first earth station apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and a transceiver, the first earth station apparatus is configured to
 accommodate, using the at least one processor, a first terminal apparatus that establishes a session by using a control message being dedicated to perform communication, 
 transmit, using the transceiver, or receive a control signal on a controlling line to a control earth station apparatus via a relay satellite, and 
 perform, using the at least one processor, circuit-switching of a communicating line with a second earth station apparatus that is connected to the first earth station apparatus by single-hop connection, 
 wherein in a case that the first earth station apparatus is on an outgoing side among a plurality of earth station apparatuses, the first earth station apparatus is configured to: 
 encapsulate, using the at least one processor, the control message received from the first terminal apparatus in the control signal to transfer the control signal including the encapsulated control message through the controlling line to the second earth station apparatus on an incoming side among the plurality of earth station apparatuses accommodating a second terminal apparatus; and 
 perform, using the at least one processor, circuit-switching of the communicating line with the second earth station apparatus on the incoming side in accordance with the control message; 
 wherein the first earth station apparatus is further configured to: 
 include a table in which a piece of information of the second earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses is associated with a first transmission frequency that is fixed and pre-assigned for the second earth station apparatus to perform communication on the communicating line using the first transmission frequency; 
 extract, from the table and using the at least one processor, another piece of information of the second earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses accommodating the second terminal apparatus as a transmission destination of the control message received from the first terminal apparatus that the first earth station apparatus accommodates; 
 acquire, from the table and using the at least one processor, the first transmission frequency for the communicating line of the second earth station apparatus; and 
 change, using the at least one processor, a reception frequency for the communicating line of the first earth station apparatus to be identical to the acquired first transmission frequency for the first communicating line of the second earth station apparatus to perform the circuit-switching of the communicating line. 
 
     
     
       4. A circuit switching control method in a satellite communication system, the satellite communication system including a plurality of earth station apparatuses and a control earth station apparatus, the plurality of earth station apparatuses each accommodating a corresponding terminal apparatus of a plurality of terminal apparatuses each of which establishes a session by using one or more control messages being dedicated to perform communication, the control earth station apparatus performing at least one of transmitting or receiving one or more control signals on one or more controlling lines to a corresponding earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses via a relay satellite, and the satellite communication system performing circuit-switching of one or more communicating lines between the plurality of earth station apparatuses that are connected by single-hop connection allow the plurality of the terminal apparatuses to perform communication with each other, the circuit switching control method comprising:
 by a first earth station apparatus comprising at least one processor accommodating a first terminal apparatus on an outgoing side among the plurality of earth station apparatuses, 
 encapsulating, using the at least one processor, a first control message of the one or more control messages received from the first terminal apparatus in a first control signal of the one or more control signals to transfer the first control signal including the encapsulated first control message through a first controlling line of the one or more controlling lines to a second earth station apparatus accommodating a second terminal apparatus on an incoming side among the plurality of earth station apparatuses; and 
 performing, using the at least one processor, circuit-switching of the first communicating line between the first earth station apparatus and the second earth station apparatus in accordance with the first control message; 
 wherein the circuit switching control method further comprises: by the first earth station apparatus, 
 including a table in which a piece of information of the second earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses is associated with a first transmission frequency that is fixed and pre-assigned for the second earth station apparatus to perform communication on the first communicating line using the first transmission frequency; 
 extracting, from the table and using the at least one processor, another piece of information of the second earth station apparatus of the plurality of earth station apparatuses accommodating the second terminal apparatus as a transmission destination of the first control message received from the first terminal apparatus that the first earth station apparatus accommodates; 
 acquiring, from the table and using the at least one processor, the first transmission frequency for the first communicating line of the second earth station apparatus; and 
 changing, using the at least one processor, a reception frequency for the first communicating line of the first earth station apparatus to be identical to the acquired first transmission frequency for the first communicating line of the second earth station apparatus to perform the circuit-switching of the first communicating line. 
 
     
     
       5. The circuit switching control method according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the one or more control messages include a session initiation protocol (SIP) packet, 
 the one or more control signals include a common signaling channel (CSC) signal, 
 each of the earth station apparatuses corresponds to a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) earth station apparatus, and the control earth station apparatus corresponds to a VSAT control earth station apparatus, and 
 the circuit-switching of the one or more communicating lines is performed in conjunction with a SIP transaction state and a signaling sequence.